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advocacy Why the Society does not support every smokefree law It may seem contradictory when the American Cancer Society does not support a smokefree law, but not all that are proposed will be effective. In fact, supporting an ineffective smokefree plan can actually prevent future progress for an area’s smokefree status by creating more ground to cover later. The Society bases its support on whether or not a proposed law meets the standards from the latest Surgeon General’s report, published in June. 
This report stated that there is "no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke." In other words, the only effective way to protect people from the dangers of secondhand smoke is to completely abolish indoor smoking. Following these guidelines, the Society views the most ideal smokefree law as one that causes every public place, including restaurants and bars, to become 100 percent smokefree at the same time. However, some smokefree proposals have amendments that cause the plan to not meet the standards of the Surgeon General’s report, such as allowing public places to have smoking rooms or ventilation systems. When these deal breakers come into the picture, the Society recognizes the plan as ineffective and will not give support. Sometimes, these laws pass because elected officials may not have time to be educated about the facts. "With good intentions, they want to accommodate everybody, without realizing that they aren’t protecting health," said Matt Phelan, the American Cancer Society’s smokefree air specialist for the Great Lakes Division. West Lafayette’s battle for smokefree legislation  West Lafayette, Indiana, had its own battle with a smokefree law this past spring. The law failed in the first City Council vote, without support from the Society because of its deal breaker amendments. Two months later, the City Council revisited a new version of the law. This time, it was a comprehensive proposal. It gained support from the local tobacco coalition and Purdue University’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), a collaboration between the college and the American Cancer Society. Julie Johnstone (pictured above, speaking at a Council meeting) a founder of Purdue’s CAC chapter and cancer survivor, joined other members in writing Letters to the Editor for local publications, e-mails to Council members, and speaking at City Council meetings. Because CAC encouraged members to write e-mails to Council members, over 300 people voiced their opinions. As a direct result, two Council members changed their vote to support the law. Donna Morgan, CAC’s advocacy chair, also got involved to protect the public, including restaurant and bar employees, who are faced with the life-threatening danger of secondhand smoke as a job requirement. People who work in the food service industry are 30 percent more likely to develop lung cancer, mostly because they are exposed to smoke regularly during their work day. "It’s important to protect people from secondhand smoke when they don’t have a choice about it, if someone has to work for eight hours a day in a smoky bar," she said. In its second vote, the City Council passed the law to make all public places, workplaces, restaurants, and bars smokefree starting July 1, 2007. To date there have been 26 smokefree laws passed in Indiana and 17 in Michigan. | |
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